


I Choose You

by wafflesandkruge



Series: Six of Crows Assassin's Creed AU [2]
Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Templar! Matthias, confused matthias, grisha beguiling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 00:55:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16608761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafflesandkruge/pseuds/wafflesandkruge
Summary: Matthias Helvar, a newly minted drüskelle and Fjerdan Templar, is sent to Ketterdam for a reconnaissance mission. It doesn't quite go to plan, and he's soon face to face with the unnatural and alluring force known as Nina Zenik. When forced to choose between his old ties and a tentative new friend, who will Matthias go to?





	1. The Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I'm back! This fic was getting a bit long, so I'm splitting it into two. You don't need to have read Be Careful, Wraith as this takes place before the events of that story. I had a lot of fun with this one, enjoy!

Matthias had been in Ketterdam for a grand total of two days, and he already despised it like it was hell on earth. Scandalously dressed women lurked around every corner of that lawless place they referred to as the Barrel, hoping to ensnare witless men. Heavily armed gang members strutted down the streets without fear of the stadwatch. And the stadwatch themselves- sorry excuses for a military force.

And then there was the matter of the Assassins, roaming at all hours of night, dispatching whomever they saw fit in the name of their “cause.” The Ketterdam Templars, led by one Jan Van Eck, did nothing to stop them. Brum had made a wise choice to send him here to scout. Ketterdam was a problem that only Fjerda’s military might could remedy.

Matthias pressed himself closer to the roof, trying not to be seen on such a clear night. He’d been staking out a building that might have been the Assassin headquarters. Well that, or a building condemned because of the plague. It was rather hard to tell in this neighborhood.

Suddenly, the front door swung open and a lanky youth strolled out, hands shoved into his pockets and whistling a merry tune. It was the first person Matthias had seen either enter or exit, but could this boy really be an Assassin? He looked no older than Matthias and his wrists were free of the trademark gauntlets. In fact, he was dressed more like a clown with questionable fashion sense than the images of ruthless Assassins Matthias had studied in Fjerda. Snorting, he decided to let the whistling youth slide and returned his attention to the house.

“Hey you!”

Cursing, Matthias scrambled up, fumbling with his rifle. There, looking up at him from the street, was the whistling youth. _How had he seen me?_

“Yeah, you! Fjerdan, right?” he continued calling out, seemingly oblivious to the weapon Matthias held. “What are you doing on that mercher’s roof?”

“Er-” The gears in Matthias’ brain refused to turn. “Bird...watching?”

“Huh. Except you’re holding a Fjerdan-issue rifle in your hands.” The boy’s voice grew cold as his demeanor and posture changed. He straightened up, smile already gone. “Don’t bother trying to shoot me. My friend, the one they call the Wraith, is already behind you. Drop the gun.”

Sure enough, Matthias felt the sharp tip of a knife dig into the side of his neck, right over the vein. He let the gun fall from his hands and watched it clatter to the street in front of the boy. How- he hadn’t heard a thing, hadn’t had a single clue something was wrong. He slowly turned his head back and was met by the sight of a small Suli girl, her eyes sharp and lethal as she jerked her head forward, as if to tell him to return his gaze to the boy. He did so.

“No funny business, Fjerdan, or you’ll end up face down in the harbor faster than I can kill a man. Inej, be a dear.”

He heard a sigh from the girl, then a hard blow to his head knocked him out.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The Assassin known as the Wraith had been a thorn in the Templar’s side even before he’d been inducted. The Masters had told them stories about her during their training, horrifying ones. They said that she was part demon and could vanish into smoke and reappear when you’d least expect it. That she’d once gutted a man without batting an eyelash, then hung him using his own intestines. That story had given him nightmares for a full week. Yet here she was, sitting inhumanly still on a table in front of him as he sat bound to a chair, twirling a knife in one hand as she studied him. She couldn’t be any older than him, possibly a few years younger. He felt a shiver go through him. This girl was a cold-hearted killer, set on plunging the world into anarchy and chaos.

She spoke first, eyes never leaving his. “What is your name?” She had a slight Suli accent, her voice caressing the Kerch vowels a beat longer than a native would.

He stayed silent. He wouldn’t tell them anything. He stared ahead impassively.

“Are you a Templar, or just a drüskelle?”

After another beat of silence, she drove the point of her knife into the table. It stayed there, vibrating. “If you refuse to talk, there are more creative ways at our disposal. I’m sure you’ve heard of Kaz Brekker, the Bastard of the Barrel.”

She tilted her head, assessing his reaction. Of course he’d hear of Dirtyhands, the ruthless crime lord who had clawed his way to the top with blood and fire. A known Assassin sympathizer.

“Kaz is a friend of ours, and he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty for our sake. I would suggest giving me something before I’m forced to send a runner to the Crow Club.”

Matthias growled. It wouldn’t matter who or what they used on him. He wouldn’t break. “Do it.”

 

* * *

 

He assessed the newcomer warily. She could easily be a trap, some new way to make him talk. The rather curvy girl had long brown locks and sparkling green eyes that looked far too innocent for an Assassin. She wore a fitted red dress, something that looked strangely familiar to Matthias. He rifled through his brain, trying to figure out why he would know something about women’s fashion.

As he tried to remember, she cocked her head curiously at him. “Good morning to you too, Matthias. I’m Nina.”

It clicked. It wasn’t a dress, it was a godsdamned _kefta_. She was grisha, a witch. He leapt up and tried to put as much space between them as possible, the rough stone wall digging into his shoulders. No, no, no. He didn’t have a single weapon on him, no way to resist. He’d heard stories of soldiers’ hearts exploding in the middle of battle, of simply nodding off and never waking up, of dying of the most excruciating pain as their lungs filled with blood. This heartrender, this monster, was capable of all that.

She huffed and crossed her arms. “Rude. It’s not like I’m going to torture you or anything. Inej and Jesper can do that just fine on their own. Just answer a few questions for me.”

Lies. He could feel his heart beat lowering without his permission and fought back with every molecule of strength he had in his body, trying to repel her invisible invasion. Black spots danced in his vision and he doubled over, lightheaded and dizzy. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he felt her power recede from his body.

“You try that again,” he rasped, panting for breath. “You try that again and I’ll kill you.”

She made a disinterested noise. “I don’t use my power on those who resist that much anyways. Too big of a chance of them going insane. The Assassins would be a bit miffed at me if you turn into a raving lunatic.”

He stayed silent, choosing to glare at her instead. He couldn’t quite bring himself believe her promises, but she didn’t seem to be lying either.

She got up and brushed off her kefta. “I’ll be back tomorrow, but I won’t use my abilities again if you don’t want me to. Have a nice day.”

The door slammed shut behind her.

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next time she visited him, she chose not to wear her kefta. Instead, she donned a rather revealing violet dress, something she’d picked up the last time she was in Ravka. Much to her delight, he looked scandalized. The scruffy druskelle stayed in the furthest corner of his cell, eyes scanning her warily. She shot him a dazzling smile. “Hello, Matthias.”

He didn’t grace her with a response. She pouted and crossed her legs, making full use of the long slit up the side of her dress. His ears reddened.

“The Assassins want to know why you were spying on them. It’s a long way from Fjerda, after all.”

Again, nothing but a resentful stare. But a little to the left to her like he didn’t want to see her exposed skin. A small smile crept onto her face.

She sighed. “Oh Matthias, this is so boring. You haven’t spilled a single juicy government secret. Let’s talk about something else. Have you tried Ketterdam’s waffles yet? They’re amazing, especially if they’re from that little stand off Fifth Harbor. Ketterdam might be known for crime, but wow, they really-”

“No.” He looked just as surprised as she was at his response.

“No? As in you haven’t tried them?” A spark of elation leaped in her chest as he shook his head. Finally, she was getting somewhere.

“I’ll bring you some next time. Inej and Jesper may be good at many things, but cooking is definitely not one of them.”

He didn’t say anything, so she continued talking aimlessly, telling him about Ketterdam, Ravka, and anywhere between that she’d visited in the past. By the time Inej knocked to symbolize the end of her time, Matthias looked the tiniest bit less angry. Nina counted it as a victory.


	2. Chapter 2: Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhahahahaha please don't kill me I lost motivation but it's coming along... Thank you anon on Tumblr who reminded me people actually read my stuff...

A few more weeks in, Nina had started pulling her chair close to the bars and Matthias would sit on his bed to talk to her. He didn’t know why he found himself looking forward to her daily visits. They still weren’t close by any means- a few, meaningful, feet separated them, not to mention the iron bars. But he couldn’t deny he didn’t hate her. She was just so  _ alive _ , different, a splash of color in his world of pale ice and grey uniforms. 

“So,” Nina continued, talking about her childhood in Ravka, “every year, we would play this game. We’d set raisins on fire-

“On fire?” Matthias asked, eyebrows raised. “What a waste of food.”

“No, of course not, we eat them,” Nina cackled gleefully. “You’ve got to be fast enough so you don’t get burned.”

“That sounds…” Matthias searched for the right word. “Horrifying.”

“Oh, you silly  _ drüskelle _ , it’s  _ fun. _ You  _ are _ familiar with fun, right?”

“Of course I am,” he said indignantly. “In Fjerda, we had many festivals, each one to honor a god. There’s dancing-”

“No, when’s the last time  _ you _ had fun?”

He paused, considering her question. It was true the festivals were fun, but more of a fleeting distraction. Drüskelle training built camaraderie, but he never quite fit in with the others. The other boys had their little pockets of friends, but not him. The last time he’d been able to laugh with friends...would’ve been before the drüskelle. Before the Templars. With his mother and little sister. 

Something pained must have shown in his expression because Nina waved a hand and hastily changed the subject. “So how do you like Ketterdam so far?”

“It’s awful.” He felt no need to elaborate. 

“Even with me here?”

“Doubly awful.”

“Oh, Matthias, you flatter me.”

 

* * *

 

“Something’s wrong with him,” Inej explained tersely as she led Nina through the Assassins’ stronghold. Nina’s heart hammered in her chest as they rushed through the darkened rooms. Matthias had been doing so well in the last month, what could have possibly gone wrong?

Inej unlocked a door in the basement to reveal Matthias’ cell. Nina gasped. In the dim light, she could make out Jesper in the cell next to a thrashing Matthias. The Zemeni seemed to be trying to restrain him, but his movements were too violent and erratic. There were hoarse shouts in Fjerdan that Nina couldn’t decipher. 

“What happened?” she demanded. She crossed the room in two quick strides and rattled the bars of the cell. “Let me in.”

Inej bit her lip. “I don’t think that’s a great idea-”

“He needs my help!” Nina snapped. She grabbed the key from Inej and unlocked the cell door. Jesper quickly stepped out and let Nina approach Matthias. His eyes, though wild and darting, didn’t seem to see her. His body trembled as he curled up defensively in the corner. “ _ Where am I _ ?” he demanded in rough Fjerdan.

“ _ You’re in Ketterdam, remember _ ?” she replied. Her fingers curled as she tried to lower his racing pulse a little.

“ _No. No, I can’t be. Why- Who are you?_ _What are you doing?_ ” He looked like a skittish animal about to last out, so she gave up trying to use her powers. 

“ _ I’m Nina, remember? The girl from Ravka.” _

“ _ Nina? _ ” For a heart-wrenching second, she thought he’d forgotten about her. His face scrunched up in concentration. “ _ Nina. You...brought me waffles. You played fire-raisins with your friends.” _

_ “Yes, that’s me,”  _ she soothed. She got a little closer and he turned his face to hers. She wanted to cup his cheek, to trace his jaw, but she forced herself to keep her hands at her sides. Suddenly, he grabbed her hands with his. Nina heard Inej unsheathing a blade. She shook her head urgently at her. Inej frowned, but stayed where she was on the other side of the bars. 

“ _ Nina _ .” His voice had more urgency now. “ _ Nina Zenik. You’re a grisha. But not a witch. A heart-render. Can you help me?” _

_ “Of course.”  _

With shaky hands, he put one of her hands over his heart. “ _ I’m tired. I want to sleep, but I can’t. Help me.” _

“ _ I will _ .” Nina flexed her fingers and slowly started dropping his heart rate. He shuddered violently, then thankfully dropped into a deep sleep. Nina kept a few threads of her magic wrapped around his unsteady heart as she slowly backed out of the cell and cornered Inej. 

“What,” she hissed, “did you do to him?”

Inej’s gaze was calculating as she cocked her head and looked up at Nina. “We didn’t. We think it was an assassination attempt. But you…”

“Me?” Nina asked incredulously. A man had almost  _ died _ in their care and Inej wanted to discuss her? “Perhaps you ought to improve the security at your  _ headquarters _ . Wouldn’t want something worse to happen.”

“Yes, we will tighten our security. I will go. You should remain to monitor Helvar. We haven’t determined what kind of poison it was yet.”

For once, Inej’s impeccable calm behavior was starting to grate on Nina’s nerves. Matthias wasn’t just their prisoner anymore, not to Nina. She felt a small pull on her powers and turned back to Matthias. “Will do. Have fun setting up very dangerous traps for very bad people.”

A ghost of a smile crossed Inej’s face, then she was gone. Nina settled into her seat and observed Matthias. He was hardly a peaceful sleeper, and her magic was constantly shifting this way and that in an attempt to help even out his rest. It was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

 

There were dark smudges under her usually bright eyes today as she slumped into her usual chair. She didn’t lounge like usual and her kefta was wrinkled like she’d slept in it. She still managed her usual grin. “Hello, Matthias.”

“Nina. Is something wrong?” He almost reached a hand out towards her, but then pulled back. She didn’t seem to notice.

“Not yet. What do you remember from last night?”

“Last night?” He cast his mind back to the previous day. After Nina had left, he’d had a rather miserable dinner of potatoes and what he hoped was chicken. Inej had brought it for him, and she’d left with the empty tray as quietly as she had came. He’d gone to bed after reading another chapter of the book Nina had lent him. He couldn’t recall any dreams or anything else unusual. He’d woken up normally this morning, too. He shook his head. “Nothing in particular.”

Nina bit her lip. “We fear you might have been...poisoned.”

At his panicked expression, she quickly waved her hands. “Not anymore, we cured you. But we suspect that a drug had somehow been slipped inside your food. Kaz is working on finding out who. But that’s not really the point.”

“Then what is?”

Nina looked down, her hands clenching and unclenching. “Well...to help you, I had to use my powers. On you.” She let that sink in.

Matthias felt torn about this. He appreciated her saving his life, but the phantom sensations of her hands around his heart, calming it, caressing- He thought he remembered the feeling of her soft hands on his face, a thumb sliding over a cheekbone. He clenched his hand tightly into a fist. “Was there no other way?”

She hesitated. “No, but-”

“Then why,” he snarled, “would you go against my wishes?”

“You asked me to!” She protested. She sat up straighter, tilted her chin up. “In very clear Fjerdan, you asked me to help you sleep. I couldn’t- wouldn’t let you suffer for any longer than you had to. I don’t regret it.”

“Nina-”

At that moment, the iron door Nina walked through every day blew open with a loud bang. A split second later, a small cylindrical object rolled in. Matthias recognized it instantly. “Nina get down!”

He didn’t have time to see if she did as he dived to the floor, hands over his ears. With a loud “POP,” the room began filling with a thick opaque smoke. The Templars were here.

“Nina!” He gagged on the smoke and pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose. “Nina!”

He rattled the bars, but there was no reply other than the steady hissing of smoke from the bomb. Then there was a cough. “Matthias?”

He hated the stab of relief that went through him. “Nina, it’s the Templars, get out!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER (I say now like I know where this is going)  
> I do know how I want this to end, but it's the in between and writing things that are hard...anyways stay tuned for more sporadic updates by yours truly, and if you want it faster, shoot me a message on Tumblr @wafflesandkruge

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaannnnd I hope that wasn't too awkward of a place to leave off. Next chapter should come in about a week. Follow @wafflesandkruge on tumblr for updates and additional writing!


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